_AND THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS SAID UNTO ELISHA, BEHOLD NOW, THE PLACE WHERE WE DWELL WITH THEE IS TOO STRAIT FOR US._ The place where we dwell with thee - margin, 'sit before thee.' The one points to a common residence, the other to a common place of meeting. The tenor of the narrative shows the hu... [ Continue Reading ]
_LET US GO, WE PRAY THEE, UNTO JORDAN, AND TAKE THENCE EVERY MAN A BEAM, AND LET US MAKE US A PLACE THERE, WHERE WE MAY DWELL. AND HE ANSWERED, GO YE._ Let us go ... unto Jordan - whose wooded banks would furnish plenty of timber.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ONE SAID, BE CONTENT, I PRAY THEE, AND GO WITH THY SERVANTS. AND HE ANSWERED, I WILL GO._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT AS ONE WAS FELLING A BEAM, THE AXE HEAD FELL INTO THE WATER: AND HE CRIED, AND SAID, ALAS, MASTER! FOR IT WAS BORROWED._ It was borrowed - literally, begged. The scholar's distress arose from the consideration that the axe had been lent to him; and that owing to his poverty he could not procur... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE MAN OF GOD SAID, WHERE FELL IT? AND HE SHEWED HIM THE PLACE. AND HE CUT DOWN A STICK, AND CAST IT IN THITHER; AND THE IRON DID SWIM._ Cut down a stick, and cast it in there. Although this means was used, it had no natural adaptation to make the iron swim. Besides, the Jordan is at Jericho... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEREFORE SAID HE, TAKE IT UP TO THEE. AND HE PUT OUT HIS HAND, AND TOOK IT._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN THE KING OF SYRIA WARRED AGAINST ISRAEL, AND TOOK COUNSEL WITH HIS SERVANTS, SAYING, IN SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE SHALL BE MY CAMP._ The king of Syria warred against Israel. This seems to have been a sort of guerilla warfare, carried on by predatory inroads on different parts of the country. Elis... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE MAN OF GOD SENT UNTO THE KING OF ISRAEL, SAYING, BEWARE THAT THOU PASS NOT SUCH A PLACE; FOR THITHER THE SYRIANS ARE COME DOWN._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE SAID, GO AND SPY WHERE HE IS, THAT I MAY SEND AND FETCH HIM. AND IT WAS TOLD HIM, SAYING, BEHOLD, HE IS IN DOTHAN._ Dothan - or Dothaim; a little north of Samaria (see the notes at Genesis 37:17).... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEREFORE SENT HE THITHER HORSES, AND CHARIOTS, AND A GREAT HOST: AND THEY CAME BY NIGHT, AND COMPASSED THE CITY ABOUT._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN THE SERVANT OF THE MAN OF GOD WAS RISEN EARLY, AND GONE FORTH, BEHOLD, AN HOST COMPASSED THE CITY BOTH WITH HORSES AND CHARIOTS. AND HIS SERVANT SAID UNTO HIM, ALAS, MY MASTER! HOW SHALL WE DO?_ His servant said ... Alas, my master! how shall we do? On the Syrian detachment surrounding th... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE ANSWERED, FEAR NOT: FOR THEY THAT BE WITH US ARE MORE THAN THEY THAT BE WITH THEM._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ELISHA PRAYED, AND SAID, LORD, I PRAY THEE, OPEN HIS EYES, THAT HE MAY SEE. AND THE LORD OPENED THE EYES OF THE YOUNG MAN; AND HE SAW: AND, BEHOLD, THE MOUNTAIN WAS FULL OF HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE ROUND ABOUT ELISHA._ Elisha prayed ... that he may see - the invisible guard of angels that e... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHEN THEY CAME DOWN TO HIM, ELISHA PRAYED UNTO THE LORD, AND SAID, SMITE THIS PEOPLE, I PRAY THEE, WITH BLINDNESS. AND HE SMOTE THEM WITH BLINDNESS ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF ELISHA._ Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness - not a total and material blindness-for then they could not have... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ELISHA SAID UNTO THEM, THIS IS NOT THE WAY, NEITHER IS THIS THE CITY: FOLLOW ME, AND I WILL BRING YOU TO THE MAN WHOM YE SEEK. BUT HE LED THEM TO SAMARIA._ This is not the way, neither is this the city. This is considered by some as a falsehood or equivocation, like the falsehood of Abraham to... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THEY WERE COME INTO SAMARIA, THAT ELISHA SAID, LORD, OPEN THE EYES OF THESE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE. AND THE LORD OPENED THEIR EYES, AND THEY SAW; AND, BEHOLD, THEY WERE IN THE MIDST OF SAMARIA._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THIS, THAT BEN-HA'DAD KING OF SYRIA GATHERED ALL HIS HOST, AND WENT UP, AND BESIEGED SAMARIA._ Ben-hadad ... besieged Samaria. This was the predicted accomplishment of the result of Ahab's foolish and misplaced kindness (1 Kings 20:42).... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THERE WAS A GREAT FAMINE IN SAMARIA: AND, BEHOLD, THEY BESIEGED IT, UNTIL AN ASS'S HEAD WAS SOLD FOR FOURSCORE PIECES OF SILVER, AND THE FOURTH PART OF A CAB OF DOVE'S DUNG FOR FIVE PIECES OF SILVER._ An ass' head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver. Though the donkey was deemed unclean fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND AS THE KING OF ISRAEL WAS PASSING BY UPON THE WALL, THERE CRIED A WOMAN UNTO HIM, SAYING, HELP, MY LORD, O KING._ As the king ... was passing - to look at the defenses, or to give some necessary orders for manning the walls.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE SAID, IF THE LORD DO NOT HELP THEE, WHENCE SHALL I HELP THEE? OUT OF THE BARNFLOOR, OR OUT OF THE WINEPRESS?_ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_SO WE BOILED MY SON, AND DID EAT HIM: AND I SAID UNTO HER ON THE NEXT DAY, GIVE THY SON, THAT WE MAY EAT HIM: AND SHE HATH HID HER SON._ We boiled my son, and did eat him - (see the notes at Deuteronomy 28:53.)... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE KING HEARD THE WORDS OF THE WOMAN, THAT HE RENT HIS CLOTHES; AND HE PASSED BY UPON THE WALL, AND THE PEOPLE LOOKED, AND, BEHOLD, HE HAD SACKCLOTH WITHIN UPON HIS FLESH._ Had sackcloth ... upon his flesh. The horrid recital of this domestic tragedy led the king soon af... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN HE SAID, GOD DO SO AND MORE ALSO TO ME, IF THE HEAD OF ELISHA THE SON OF SHAPHAT SHALL STAND ON HIM THIS DAY._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT ELISHA SAT IN HIS HOUSE, AND THE ELDERS SAT WITH HIM; AND THE KING SENT A MAN FROM BEFORE HIM: BUT ERE THE MESSENGER CAME TO HIM, HE SAID TO THE ELDERS, SEE YE HOW THIS SON OF A MURDERER HATH SENT TO TAKE AWAY MINE HEAD? LOOK, WHEN THE MESSENGER COMETH, SHUT THE DOOR, AND HOLD HIM FAST AT THE D... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND WHILE HE YET TALKED WITH THEM, BEHOLD, THE MESSENGER CAME DOWN UNTO HIM: AND HE SAID, BEHOLD, THIS EVIL IS OF THE LORD; WHAT SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE LORD ANY LONGER?_ While he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger. [The Septuagint has: _ ANGELOS_ (G32), as if they understood a second messe... [ Continue Reading ]